The proposed continuation of ARCHD arises from a state in which significant, racial and ethnic health disparities exist. To address minority health disparities, collaborations have been formed between many Arkansas agencies, organizations and institutions, and the COPH and ARCHD. Prominent among these strong collaborations and most gemriane to the current application are those with the collaborating HBCUs, the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, and the Arkansas Departments of Health and Human Services. Administrators and faculty in these institutions are working individually and collectively to bring resources and expertise to Arkansas to reduce health disparities. The COPH itself was created in mid-2001 to address Arkansans' poor health indicators and outcomes. The College's Mission focuses on eliminating the state's disparities, particularly the burden of health disparities borne by our populations. The proposed Research Projects address a research need identified in the lOM report on Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care